Have you ever found yourself asking, “Can you use a paint sprayer as a pressure washer?”
Washers are convenient because they produce a fast flow of water, allowing you to clean different surfaces at a much quicker pace.
But what if you don’t have one? Is it possible to use your paint sprayer? It’s a good question to ask. Be sure to check out this guide to find out if it would work!
Believe it or not, you can use airless paint sprayers as a pressure washer. Because it's your equipment, you have the option of deciding how you're going to use it.
This way there will be no damage to the pump and the unit will operate at maximum efficiency.
The airless pump pressurizes the small hole in the tip. However, there are some things you need to know beforehand.
1. Pressure Washers Are Faster
While HVLP paint sprayers and washers are similar because they disperse liquid at a fast rate of speed, there are some differences between the two.
2. It Can Be Messier With a Paint Sprayer
The HVLP paint sprayers tends to get a bit messier while producing more liquid, but this isn’t much of an issue if you’re trying to power wash a large area and want to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
3. Soap and Water Are Safe For the Sprayer
It’s absolutely safe to put water or soap in HVLP paint sprayers because these are two of the things that you’d need to put in your HVLP paint sprayers when cleaning it out after using it with paint anyway. So, if you decide to add both water and soap and use it for power washing, it’s not a big deal.
4. You Can Choose Different Power Options
You can choose the type of spray gun that you want to work with for power washer, such as a spray gun with high-volume option with lower pressure. You would just hook up a hose to the “blow” end of the vacuum and a spray gun attachment to the other end.
When using a traditional washer, you can choose from different nozzles that produce water at different degrees to clean various surfaces, such as 15 degree, 20 degree, and even 45-degree angles [1].
5. Choose the Right Paint Sprayer
If you plan to use your airless paint sprayers as power washing, look for something with lower air pressure when cleaning fragile items and higher air pressure or too much pressure when working with tougher materials, such as concrete.
Can You Use A Pressure Washer As A Paint Sprayer?
While you can use airless paint sprayers as a washer, it’s not in your best interest to use a washer as airless paint sprayers. Although you can put paint in your low pressure washer and use it to cover surfaces, it’s super messy.
However, you can use a washer in preparation for using a paint sprayer. Before painting, you want to make sure you remove any dirt and dust from the surface of what you are painting before adding a primer or a coat of paint.
You can use your washer to clean surfaces such as:
If you don’t want to deal with a huge mess, it’s best to use airless sprayers when you’re trying to cover different surfaces with a coating of paint, but use your washer to clean the surfaces, first.
How to Use A Paint Sprayer As A Pressure Washer?
If you’re going to use the HVLP sprayers as a washer, you probably want to know how to do it properly. Follow the steps below!
- 1Add the soap and water
First, you would need to remove the spray tip and guard, open the area where you’d normally add your paint, and place a solution consisting of water and soap into that compartment before sealing it shut and placing your guard and spray tip back in position. - 2Adjust the setting
Once you’ve added your water and soap and have everything situated, you can adjust the setting on the sprayer and practice with it while focusing on the ground to see how fast the water comes out before you change the setting to your liking and get started. - 3Rinse the sprayer
Once you’ve complete cleaning with the sprayer while using it as a washer, be sure to remove the components and rinse them out thoroughly to get rid of any soap residue. You don't want to leave any paint inside the sprayer for the next time that you use your sprayer, whether you plan to use it as a washer again or for its intended purpose of spraying paint job.
Using A Paint Sprayer As A Pressure Washer FAQs
How do you wash a car using a paint sprayer?
To wash car with a sprayer, you can add water and soap instead of paint in the compartment attached to the paint sprayer that typically stores the paint color of your choice, using it like that to wash your car and get it looking as clean and shiny as possible.
What PSI will damage car paint?
Anything above 1900 PSI will likely cause some damage to the paint on your car[2], potentially causing chips and scratches that you want to avoid, so be careful.
Can you pressure wash graffiti off?
Yes. In most cases, it’s possible to remove graffiti from buildings, vehicles, and other surfaces ,while using a pressure washer because of the speed at which the water comes out of the nozzle attached to it.
Is it safer and easier to buy a pressure washer and paint sprayer and use them separately?
Yes, it's definitely a good idea to have a pressure washer and a paint sprayer so that you can use them for their intended purpose. However, if you can’t afford to do that, converting one into the other is always a budget-friendly option worth considering.
Conclusion
If you have a sprayer and would like to use it as a pressure washer, you’ve probably wondered how to convert low pressure washers direct into a sprayer or vice versa.
Now that you know it’s possible, be sure to follow the helpful tips in this guide to have the utmost success with using one piece of equipment for multiple purposes. It can save you time and money while allowing you to complete both cleaning and painting projects!
References:
1. https://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/stories/206-How-to-Pressure-Wash-at-the-Perfect-Angle.html#:~:text=They've%20revolutionized%20the%20way,spray%2C%20making%20proper%20cleaning%20difficult.
2. https://dasilvaautobody.com/blog/auto-detailing/pressure-washing-paint/#:~:text=For%20a%20typical%20car%2C%20use,the%20car's%20coating%20and%20paint.